Populist politician Pauline Hanson, who once warned Australia was in danger of being swamped by Asians, said Monday she would run in this year's national election to protect "the Australian way of life".

Describing herself as "the redhead you can trust" -- seen as a reference to flame haired Prime Minister Julia Gillard -- she told reporters Australians were fed up with "selfish, dysfunctional and egotistical" political parties.

More than a million people took to Sao Paulo's streets Sunday for a massive Gay Pride parade, aiming to end discrimination and support same-sex marriage rights in Brazil.

Under rainy skies and cold that did not dampen many spirits, marchers waved banners like "Never going back in the closet" in the financial and industrial hub of this majority Roman Catholic country of about 196 million.

Worried its gastronomic reputation is being damaged by substandard eateries, France is considering banning establishments from calling themselves restaurants if meals are not made from scratch by in-house chefs.

The move, backed by the Synhorcat restaurant union and a group of lawmakers, aims to crack down on the proliferation of restaurants serving boil-in-a-bag or microwaved ready meals as restaurant-quality cuisine.

Muslims outside the United States who use the Internet are more likely to have a favorable opinion of Western popular culture than those who don't go online, the Pew Research Center said Friday.

Crunching the numbers of its recent wide-ranging survey of Muslims in 39 countries, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found a median of 18 percent of respondents use the Internet at home, work or school.

As Japan's population declines, intolerance of children and the noise they make is increasing in a society getting less accustomed to hearing them, childcare experts say.

In a nation where convenience stores blare electronic greetings and political candidates shout through high-volume megaphones at train stations, day care centers are putting up sound barriers to muffle the din that toddlers make and sports clubs are restricting the times that youngsters can play outside to avoid upsetting the neighbors.

Long neglected at home, Edvard Munch is finally to get his due as Norway honors one of its greatest artists with the most comprehensive retrospective ever to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.

"The Scream", of course, is there. So too are other treasures, including "Madonna", "Vampire" and "The Dance of Life."

Muslims outside the United States who use the Internet are more likely to have a favorable opinion of Western popular culture than those who don't go online, the Pew Research Center said Friday.

Crunching the numbers of its recent wide-ranging survey of Muslims in 39 countries, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found a median of 18 percent of respondents use the Internet at home, work or school.

The sacking of Egypt's Opera House head has triggered a new political battle against President Mohamed Morsi, this time by artists who accuse the Islamist's Muslim Brotherhood of aiming to control cultural institutions.

The artists have taken to strikes, demonstrations and cancelling shows to counter what they say are Islamist designs on key cultural institutions.

The descendants of African slaves donned masks and bright red costumes as they danced through the streets of this small Venezuelan town on Thursday for its annual commemoration of Corpus Cristi.

Young men beat drums and shook maracas as the "devils" paraded through the streets and people gathered to celebrate Corpus Cristi, a Roman Catholic holiday celebrating the transformation of the body and blood of Christ into bread and wine.

The tiny Sidi community, descendants of ninth century African migrants, have lived quietly along India's west coast for hundreds of years while never losing touch with their ancient traditions.

"A Certain Grace", a new book by Indian photographer Ketaki Sheth reveals how the community, many of whose members live in poverty, has assimilated in India while keeping its distinctive culture alive.